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New Iberia Man Sentenced To 135 Months In Prison For Attempting To Solicit A Minor Online

LAFAYETTE, La. –United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that Gregory Steven Guillot, 35, of New Iberia, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik, to 135 months in prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. Guillot is also required to complete 20 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender.

According to the evidence presented at the guilty plea, Guillot made contact with a female he believed to be a 14-year-old girl using an online chat service. Guillot began chatting with the girl and attempted to make her feel comfortable, but later became more aggressive, asking questions of a sexual nature. He then sent sexually explicit images of himself and directed the girl to do the same. The undercover officer Guillot was chatting with made plans to meet him, and on October 24, 2011, authorities arrested Guillot on his way to pick up the 14-year-old girl he had arranged to meet. Guillot pleaded guilty on March 14, 2013.

This is not the first time Guillot has engaged in this type of activity. In 2006, he attempted to meet a female he thought was 15 years of age for sex and was arrested by state authorities in Hammond, La. Guillot originally faced Computer Aided Solicitation of a Minor, but the charge was downgraded to Cyber-stalking. Guillot was given probation.

“This defendant’s goal was to lure a minor through internet chat and then meet to have sex,” Finley stated. “He will now spend years in prison for attempting to bring a child into a potentially dangerous situation. Anytime anyone uses the internet to abuse or exploit children, we will aggressively investigate and prosecute them. Too many children fall prey to online predators. My office, along with our state, local and federal partners will continue to safeguard the children of this community.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) DHS-2ICE. Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp and to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously. The Lafayette FBI office number is (337) 233-2164.